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  • binnie
    DIAMOND STATUS
    • May 2006
    • 19145

    Originally posted by Seshmeister
    My favourite real life one was underneath a picture in Kerrang of 4 very angry, unattractive, spotty, plump guys called Celibacy. Have you heard them, I think they were around in the 90s at least?
    Not come across them.

    My personal favourite is a band called Marduck, who had an album called 'Fuck Me Jesus'. Brilliant.
    The Power Of The Riff Compels Me

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    • rocking ron
      Head Fluffer
      • Sep 2010
      • 324

      Originally posted by binnie
      I quite like Primal Fear: if you're a fan of power metal then they're definitely for you.
      I'm not a big Priest fan , but anyway , not familiar with it so we have to give it a chance!!!

      I'm not really into ANAL CUNT either, I like the BUTT HOLE SURFERS more, and ROCKBITCH ofcourse

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      • binnie
        DIAMOND STATUS
        • May 2006
        • 19145

        From the vaults: Slipknot – Slipknot (1999)

        12 years! Has it really been 12 years? Jumping around on broken bottles of beer and whisky, moshing our asses off to this new, 18-legged monster of a band. How the time flies. And how intense this stills sounds. Opening with ‘742617000027’ – a squealing, throbbing pulse overlain with loops and samples and one voice repeating over and over ‘The whole thing, I think, is sick’ – the aim seemed to be to disorientate, overwhelm and disturb. Whilst most Nu Metal bands overlaid hip hop beats with sloppy, down-tuned guitars and staid anger, Slipknot were more neurotic: songs spasm between multiple parts as arrangements smash into one another. The result was something more expressive than crafted. Like a raw nerve.

        ‘Sic’ sums it all up. Tribal beats relentlessly assault the listener as an army of percussionists battle with samples and punchy, punky riffs. The music was ugly and twisted, and matched perfectly by Corey Taylor’s intense vocal bark – ‘You. Can’t. Kill. Me./ ‘Cos. I’m. Already. Inside you’. Scary stuff, and real, too. This was metal, Jim, but not as we’d know it. Gone were the guitar heroics, the preening technicality, and the epic soundscapes. In their place was an altogether grittier sound, eeked out from Ross Robinson’s ‘caught in the moment’ production. ‘Surfacing’ is a discordant funk; ‘Spit It Out’ is a demonic hip hop; ‘Prosthetics’ is a disturbing take on obsession built upon eerie atmospherics and hulking riffs; whilst ‘Wait & Bleed’ alternates between a melodic, almost prayer-like, chorus and riotous punk-rock verse. This music is tar black and tactile, music which refuses to be ignored – it’s so abrasive that it pulls emotions out of you which you didn’t even know were there. This is nowhere truer than in closer ‘Scissors’, 8 minutes of frankly chilling music in which Slipknot become an a metal version of Aphex Twin.

        In truth, Slipknot have never topped this. Follow up ‘Iowa’ was heavier and more metallic; ‘Vol. 3: The Subliminal Verses’ was more experimental and expansive; and ‘All Hope is Gone’ shows them at their most crafted and considered, and is arguably their best collection of songs. But for impact, ‘Slipknot’ was something else. You never forget the cry of a wounded animal.
        The Power Of The Riff Compels Me

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        • binnie
          DIAMOND STATUS
          • May 2006
          • 19145

          From the vaults: L7 – Bricks are Heavy (1992)

          L7 were all girls, but their gender was the least interesting thing about them. For all the simplicity of much of what was on offer here, L7 had a lot of power. The brooding presence of ‘Diet Pill’ evokes the ominous silence in the seconds before a kicking, and the scuzzy buzz-saw guitar of ‘Wargasm’ is pure Iggy Pop fuelled nonchalant obnoxiousness. Sure, you can hear the influences (The Ramones, Mudhoney, The Sex Pistols, early Soundgarden), and sure they didn’t have the song-writing talents of Paul Simon: but what these songs lack in finesse and subtlety they make up for with a sheer dirty presence. Riffs and melodies are driven to breaking-point with relentless fury, becoming hypnotic in the low end rumble so in evidence on ‘Scrap’ and ‘Pretend We’re Dead’. You can party to it, riot to it, groove to it, or just let it kick your ass: this was joyous, dangerous rock ‘n’ roll, grungy but effortlessly fun to. Indeed, when the snappy bounce of ‘Everglade’ and ‘Slide’ hit you, you realize that L7 evoked a time before punk rock got all pretentious – more head-butt than cleverly crafted diatribe.
          The Power Of The Riff Compels Me

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          • binnie
            DIAMOND STATUS
            • May 2006
            • 19145

            Seasons After – Through Tomorrow

            Blending grungy, tar-thick melodies with double-bass drum assault and vocals which switch from melodic croon to post-hardcore bark, Seasons After sample the rich pallet of modern metal. The result is a debut which points towards a genuine sound of their own but which is often marred by an attempt at ‘catch all’. ‘Marked’, for instance, is a straight up rocker of the sort that Black Stone Cherry pedal; but, ‘Hell Is’ is a much heavier, barking riff monster of a song. Sound out of kilter? Well, it certainly does when you throw in a cover ‘Cry Little Sister’ (the theme from The Lost Boys), which sound like it could be in a Jerry Bruckheimer film.

            That being said, when it’s good, it’s REALLY good. ‘Some Things Burn’ is that rarest of things in modern metal: melodic AND heavy. Blending Alter Bridge and Alice In Chains with Black Label Society riffage, its epic power and weird tempo changes are wrapped together with outstanding melodies. The title track similarly has a catchy riff and drum tattoo. Beginning by sounding like Disturbed at their most melodic, it erupts into something altogether heavier and is the chrysalis of rock in the 21st Century. ‘II-II’ is also a wonderful synthesis of heavier metal and melodic rock, the vocals switching from croon to bark with aplomb.

            That synthesis doesn’t always work, however. On ‘The Knife’ and ‘Save You’ the cut and paste approach to blending rock and extreme metal lacks the finesse so often on display here. Like Bullet For My Valentine or Avenged Sevenfold (they wish!), Seasons After will undoubtedly come in for criticism from the metal snobs for their clear arena rock pretentions: sure, this is produced and polished with radio play in mind; and sure, the blend of hooky songs and more brutal heavier numbers feels like an attempt to tick as many boxes as possible. But the songs here are so strong, and so rich in their tones, that once you’re blasting this you really don’t care that they’re not as edgy or imaginative as the Norwegian folk-metal band you were listening to last week.
            The Power Of The Riff Compels Me

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            • binnie
              DIAMOND STATUS
              • May 2006
              • 19145

              Anger Management – Beyond the Threshold of Pain

              If a pack of Dobermans formed a band it would sound like this. A savage mauling of hardcore and metal, this 5 song EP is an 18 minute ass kicking. Riffs smash into grooves, time changes bleed into twisted lyrics. Sure, it’s nothing you’ve not heard before – think Hatebreed, Throwdown, Bloodsimple – but Anger Management inject enough twists and turns into each song to prevent it becoming generic. The drumming is not as frenetic as most extreme metal, and that allows the band to lay down some big grooves. Some of these guys are ex Medula Nocte (a band that sadly never got the credit they deserved) and you hope that they make it this time. Ernest, bollock-driven, hardcore tinged metal with enough bite to take yer arm off!
              The Power Of The Riff Compels Me

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              • binnie
                DIAMOND STATUS
                • May 2006
                • 19145

                From the vaults: Tokyo Blade – Burning Down Paradise (1995)

                NWOBHM also rans take one last stab at career momentum. Reuniting after some near farcical spells in parallel versions of the same band, Andy Boulton, John Wiggins and Alan Marsh put together an album which rivalled their glory days of 10 years earlier in the hope of pushing the momentum they’d gained from the likes of ‘Night of The Blade’ and ‘Blackhearts and Jaded Spades’ further. It didn’t work, either. But, as with most Tokyo Blade records, that’s not because it wasn’t a quality product. Displaying a triumphant metal sound of the mid-‘80s, big hooks and bigger choruses are the driving force here, and it is certainly the sort of album which Wayne and Garth would have loved. A bit like Dokken with prog-rock pretensions, the title track is anthemic, mid-paced and displays plenty of umph. ‘Flashpoint Serenade’ evokes Maiden-territory expansiveness, whilst ‘Friend in Need’ possesses a slippery riff with LA pretensions and ‘Hot Breath’ evokes their NWOBHM roots. There are certainly problems: ‘Papering the Cracks’ does exactly what it promises, and ‘Head Full of Wiring’ sounds like Extreme, but shit, whilst many of the songs here scream ‘edit’ as they plod towards the 5-minute-mark.

                But you can’t over-think this type of melodic metal majesty. It’s too much fun, even when it’s undercooked and awkward. This was never going to sell in 1995, and Tokyo Dragon must have known that. That they stuck to their guns and made it this way anyway is a sign of the character in evidence here: with more poke than a politician in a brothel ‘Burning Down Paradise’ was a lot of fun, if nothing else.
                The Power Of The Riff Compels Me

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                • binnie
                  DIAMOND STATUS
                  • May 2006
                  • 19145

                  duplicate
                  Last edited by binnie; 08-19-2011, 04:48 AM. Reason: duplicate
                  The Power Of The Riff Compels Me

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                  • binnie
                    DIAMOND STATUS
                    • May 2006
                    • 19145

                    Blue October – Approaching Normal

                    ‘Gothic grunge’ might be the best way to describe Blue October’s sound. Gloomy yet commercial, their songs are honed and trimmed to concise exercises in raw emotion. Featuring strings and intricate arrangements rather than raucous guitars, there is nonetheless a darkness which punctures the delicate surface of the songs’ skin and leaves them sore and oozing. The reference points are fairly wide: The Cure, Fairport Convention, Placebo, REM, A Perfect Circle……..basically any decent rock band that doesn’t charge in dick-first. But what strikes you most is the quality of the songs. Opener ‘Weight of The World’ makes it clear that there is no staid angst here: a song about a man whose anger gets the better of him, the strings tease out the bitterness of the unhinged lyrics. Closer ‘The End’ is equally powerful. A mini opera of a song which demonstrates that there is strength in fragility, this is the tale of a man tortured by infidelity to acts of extreme cruelty. And they say storytellers are dead……

                    ‘Diet Room’ is a sort of folksey N.I.N, whilst ‘Been Down’ is a more whimsical U2 and ‘My Never’ is a tune which Rufus Wainwright could have penned. Featuring raw and honest vocals throughout, the lyrics are almost uncomfortably emotional at times. Yet despite the obvious talent on display here, this record does sink in the middle. The kitsch balladry of ‘Picking Up Pieces’ descends into The Script territory, and ‘Jump Rope’ teases the boundary between sincerity and sentimentality. It is this lack of consistency in quality which perhaps places the album a notch down from previous efforts ‘Foiled’ and ‘History For Sale’.

                    That being said, it’s not every rock band who can tackle fatherhood, love, revenge, politics and murder in one album without chasing around a myriad of musical styles. That Blue October manage to balance such a broad palette on a sound which is wholly their own is quite a testament to their prowess. Some will undoubtedly baulk at music which is this layered, and which strives to such pointed exploration of emotion – to do so would be to miss out, however, on a band which manages to be both dark and palatable, and emotive without being saccharine.
                    The Power Of The Riff Compels Me

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                    • binnie
                      DIAMOND STATUS
                      • May 2006
                      • 19145

                      Overkill – Ironbound

                      Album number 15 from the world’s most metal band. You have to admire Bobby ‘Blitz’ and company, because they summarize precisely what this music is all about: love, passion, dogged-determination, a ‘fuck the world’ mentality, and a relentless drive to play just for the sake of playing. Sure, they’re never going to make a ‘Master of Puppets’, ‘Crack the Skye’ or ‘Demanufacture’, but you don’t have to reach greatness to be loved: Overkill are lifers, they’re the people’s band, a band that keeps on going through every trend, every line-up change and every empty bank account.

                      And that passion drips from the pores of this record. Combined with the fact that Overkill have forgotten more about metal than most bands every learn, what they have delivered is an album as good as any they have made: no small feat 30 years into a career! Sounding – as ever – like a faster version of Accept kicking the living shit out of the pretenders, this record wraps up everything great about heavy fucking metal. Vitriolic speed-picked riffs sit over rumbling bass-lines and thunderous drums as Blitz’s raspy vocals mix acid and grit into torrent of controlled aggression. The songs are complex without being overwhelming, meandering through multiple sections and clusters of riffs, melodies and solos to deliver a symphony of metal which dances on the boundary of the raucous and the ridiculous without ever putting a toe over the edge. The title track is all double bass crunch and a grinding whirlwind of precise power, ‘Bring Me The Night’ recalls the glories of early thrash, that golden era before all heavy bands felt they had to be saving the world to make worthwhile music, and ‘Endless War’ is heavier than King Kong’s first dump of the day.

                      Put simply: if you don’t like this record, you don’t like metal. They were never the most important of the thrash bands, in a way that Saxon were not the most important of the NWOBHM bands. What groups like that share, however, is an ethos and an energy which comes from being perennial contenders – they’ve never had any respect, and they’ve long since ceased graving it. Right now, they exist as a band because they HAVE too. And they’ll compel you to feel it.
                      The Power Of The Riff Compels Me

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                      • binnie
                        DIAMOND STATUS
                        • May 2006
                        • 19145

                        Cavalera Conspiracy – Blunt Force Trauma

                        Tribal-tinged, anarcho-fuelled metallic thunder from the Cavalera brothers which evokes the glory days of Sepultura without descending into nostalgia. Where so many bands in modern metal equate heaviness with the ability to mould dizzyingly frenetic time-changes to complexity for its own sake, Max Cavalera has always adopted the sledgehammer to the face approach to songwriting which privileges power over perfection: squat, powerful and defiant, these songs are pummellingly raw. The Discharge-led thrash of ‘Warlord’ proves that there is incredible power to be found in complexity, with Iggor sounding like a veritable army of percussionists and Max’s ever-distinctive bark in all its redolent glory. ‘Torture’ is a melee of fast, discordant riffage which evokes DRI; and ‘Lynch Mob’, with its epic chorus, is both grooving and heavy in a way which only a Max Cavalera song can be.

                        There is no let up and (as those fans who become frustrated with Max’s endless experimentation in Soulfly will be pleased to learn) little in the way of meandering here: from ‘Thrasher’ to ‘I Speak Hate’ and ‘Target’, this is foot to the flaw hard-core fuelled metal which could easily be the soundtrack to an urban riot. Although perhaps not as focussed or ferocious as their debut record – the likes of ‘Gengis Khan’ and ‘Rasputin’, guitar histrionics aside, are a little silly and veer on the side of comic book metal – this is still brutally brilliant and brimming with energy and the sense of oppressive chaos which screams ‘CAVALERA’. Max here has evoked the heights of ‘Chaos AD’ and ‘Nailbomb’ without ever becoming a prisoner to his own past.
                        The Power Of The Riff Compels Me

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                        • binnie
                          DIAMOND STATUS
                          • May 2006
                          • 19145

                          From the vaults: Rocket from the Crypt – RFTC (1998)

                          A bunch of sing-along-anthems to make you dance like a drunken uncle at New Year’s whilst having more fun than a tickled toddler. Essentially ska-meets-rock ‘n’ roll, RFTC deliver punchy tunes built upon blues guitars, swinging rhythms, crooned vocals and a brass backing. ‘I Know’ is a bad-ass boogie with punk-rock insistence, ‘Panic Scam’ evokes Social Distortion, and ‘Break It Up’ channels 1950’s teen abandon through modern amplification – Green Day wish they could sound like this! Lyrically, very simple imagery is chosen to take you to the heart of universal experiences. ‘Lipstick’, for example, conjures up the initial tingling of lust, whilst the tender lament of ‘Your Touch’ proves that RFTC are much more than pop-rock frills.

                          Startlingly direct and deliciously uncomplicated, RFTC rummage through the bounty of western music’s heritage and wrap up what they pilfer in an effortless cool. This is the perfect juke-box selection to summer nights and boozed-up reveries, and if ‘Dick On A Dog’ doesn’t make you smile then you’re dead inside.
                          The Power Of The Riff Compels Me

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                          • binnie
                            DIAMOND STATUS
                            • May 2006
                            • 19145

                            Duplicate
                            Last edited by binnie; 09-01-2011, 04:45 AM. Reason: Duplicate
                            The Power Of The Riff Compels Me

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                            • binnie
                              DIAMOND STATUS
                              • May 2006
                              • 19145

                              Kingdom of Sorrow – Behind the Blackest Tears

                              Kingdom of Sorrow’s second album continues to blend the punk leanings of Hatebreed frontman Jamey Jasta with Crowbar/Down guitar lord Kirk Windstein. Welding hardcore with the bowel-loosening heaviness of Crowbar’s demonic blues in a manner altogether more successful – and energetic – than on their debut, Jasta and Windstein have found considerable common ground between their styles.
                              This collection of mid-paced bruisers is propelled by Windstein’s twisted, colossal dinosaur metal riffs and kicked about by Jasta’s head-butting vocal delivery. It’s impressively heavy – both sonically and emotively. Opener ‘Enlightented To Extinction’ is drenched in rich hooks and is the sort of melodic heaviness which most metalcore bands would kill for; ‘God’s Law in the Devil’s Land’ possesses the melody of one who has kissed the darkness and come up smiling; and the nightmarish ‘Enlighten the Divide’ offsets its beautiful doom melodies with a crunching earthquake of a riff.

                              For all of that Sabbath-derived heaviness, it’s only on ‘From Heaven To Dirt’ that Kingdom of Sorrow become a band which can not only revival the day jobs of its members, but surpass it. With a vampiric hook and trippy, nightingale melodies, it really is unlikely anything either of them have penned before. As it stands, Kingdom of Sorrow are delivering quality metal records with purpose; but there are hints here that they might be able to deliver a truly staggering one.
                              The Power Of The Riff Compels Me

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                              • Hardrock69
                                DIAMOND STATUS
                                • Feb 2005
                                • 21888

                                By the way, Ralph Scheepers, vocalist for Primal Fear is a badass vocalist. He was asked to audition to replace Halford after he left Priest, though the cunt at Priest's management office Trinifold (Jayne Andrews) denies every talking with him. He would have been a good replacement. He certainly has the pipes.

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